The Ring Of Love
by writestories315
Summary: Sequel to 'It's Not Always How It Seems' The morning after the big misunderstanding and Harm finally discovers Mac's tattoo and the meaning behind it…


Hey all-

Carol gave me the permission to post this story under her pen name, since this is my sequel to our story 'It's Not Always How It Seems', which is post under her pen name. Thanks Carol!

- Michi

* * *

Title – The Ring of Love

Author Name – Michaela aka Michi

Spoilers – This story is based on Gum & Shoe's story 'It's Not Always How It Seems', but other than that there's no spoiler that would matter… and let's just say the Admiral's still the JAG…

Disclaimer – JAG belongs to DPB, CBS, and Paramount.

Summary- The morning after the big misunderstanding and Harm finally discovers Mac's tattoo and the meaning behind it…

Authors Notes-

– This story is based on Gum & Shoe's story 'It's Not Always How It Seems' (but it could stand on its own too). It is my version of how INAHIS should have been continued. It's about Mac's tattoo and the story behind it. My first plan was it to make a steamy version out of it, but for now I stick to this milder one.

- I don't know how many times I've been asked about Mac's tattoo and what she added to it… Back then, when we worked on INAHIS, I didn't know the answer either but one thing was for sure… I wanted to work with a symbol that I haven't read about in any JAG FF so far. It took some time (and I'm sorry for that) to come up with something special, and I hope that I finally found a unique one and that you readers like it.

- A big thanks to my beta reader JJ for her great work and support. You are great, girl! And may I add that I at least tried it:) I know. I know… I failed the test ;) Next time… maybe lol… Any left mistakes are mine…

- Feedback is always welcome and very encouraging. That's why I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for your great support and encouragement in the past… I hope I can continue to write stories you enjoy and like to read. Thanks again!

* * *

**Thursday**

**Harm's bathroom**

**5:17 AM**

Mac stood under the shower, enjoying the feeling of the hot water running down her tired body. She felt slightly exhausted and even a bit sore from all the lovemaking last night, but she didn't mind nor care. The feeling of happiness and satisfaction trumped everything and just spurred her on.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Mac really wanted to go back to bed. Back into Harm's protecting arms, just so she could savour the warmth of his body for a bit longer. But since she had no uniform here at his place, it was time for her to go back to her own apartment, so she could get ready for work in time.

She suddenly could feel his watching eyes on her and chuckled. Mac slowly turned her head so that she could look to the doorway of the bathroom, knowing that her best friend, the man of her dreams and now finally her lover would be standing there. "Will you ever stop staring at it?"

Harm just shook his head, gave her his best flyboy grin while leaning in all his glory against the doorway. "No. Never ever! It is simply too beautiful and too meaningful to be neglected or even ignored," he told her and once more let his prying eyes wander to the object of his desire.

"What is, my butt or the tattoo?" Mac asked with a smirk and turned fully around when Harm finally joined her in the shower. She slowly let her hands wander over his solid body, enjoying the feeling of his dancing muscles under her soft fingertips. 'Oh and how they were dancing last night,' she thought with a grin and gently kissed his chest, letting her tongue caress one of his nipples.

"Hmmm, I would say both are very beautiful and desirable," Harm answered while his right hand softly roamed over Mac's backside and near her left hipbone. That's where he finally had found her famous tattoo yesterday.

Last night he had been totally amazed by the symbol and the meaning behind it. And he had to admit that this feeling was still very much intact. Harm closed his eyes and remembered the moment Mac had professed her love to him. The moment she'd professed her 'Ring of Love'.

**_Flashback_**

**A few hours earlier**

**Harm's bedroom**

Harm's forefinger tenderly ran over Mac's backside near her left hipbone, going over the beautiful tattoo he'd discovered just a few hours earlier. Mac's hand in the meantime gently caressed his chest, feeling the soothing beating of his heart under her fingertips.

It was way past midnight and after a few rounds of lovemaking they were lying on his bed, their legs intertwined and their bodies only covered with a light blanket of sweat. Some lit candles on the nightstand were the only light source in the room. They both were exhausted but neither one wanted to be the first to close their eyes and fall asleep.

Harm looked up from Mac's tattoo and right into her shining eyes. He could see in them the love and desire she felt for him and knew that they were reflecting all the feelings he had for her.

He continued to caress the spot where he'd found the symbol earlier. "What is the meaning behind this?" Harm softly asked her. He was sure that Mac's tattoo was telling a story and hoped that she would share it with him. "I've seen this symbol before but I have to admit that I don't know what it means."

"It's a 'Yin and Yang'-symbol," Mac started to explain. "It's a Chinese symbol which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. Yin is the darker element. Passive, feminine, downward-seeking, and corresponds to the night, while Yang is the brighter element. Active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the day. Yin and Yang are complementary opposites rather than absolutes. I got it shortly after I joined the Corps because it presented the two parts of Sarah MacKenzie."

Harm nodded his head in understanding and once more looked down at her tattoo. "And what is the meaning of the letters surrounding the symbol?" He wanted to know while his finger started to make circles around it. "Is that Farsi?"

Mac looked astonished at him and then smiled. "Yeah, it's Farsi. How'd you know?"

Harm just shrugged his shoulder and softly kissed her lips, which were still swollen from all the kisses they'd shared during the night. "It was just a hunch. What does it say?"

Mac looked down at her hip and watched Harm's forefinger dancing over her sensitive skin. She then let her hand join his, interlocking their fingers.

"The lettering is the addition Bryan talked about. I got it shortly after our adventures in Afghanistan. The one right next to Yin, the dark element, says 'Sundance Kid'," she started to explain and then looked up at Harm again. She was greeted by his glimmering eyes, which were full of expectation. "And the one right next to Yang, the bright element, says 'Butch Cassidy'. Together, the lettering is building a circle around the Chinese symbol, creating a unit. I called it 'The Ring of Love'," she concluded her explanation in a whisper. Mac's eyes never left Harm's gaze and saw that his eyes were getting teary. "You are the bright and warm side of my life, Harmon Rabb Junior, and without you, my life would be dark, cold and simply unbearable."

Harm took a deep breath and smiled. "I love you, Sundance," he tenderly told her and then gave her a long loving kiss before he quickly moved so that he now was lying on top of her, settling in between her legs. "And I gladly will be your Yang if you'll be mine," Harm said after they broke their kiss and suddenly a roguishly smile came over his lips. "But please without the masculine part," he added with a chuckle.

Mac took his head in her palms and started to pull him closer to her so that their lips were nearly touching. "I love you, Butch," she lovingly whispered and then their lips finally met for a kiss full of passion and desire. Slowly she let her hands wander down his back while she hooked her left leg over his right one, trying to bring him as close as possible to her. "You know," Mac continued seductively and cupped his buttocks to get him even closer to her. "Yin also could stand for cold water and it can be boiled and eventually turn into steam. Yin would transform to Yang. Make me boil, Harm. Let us make some steam," she huskily said with a raised eyebrow.

Harm's groan echoed through his bedroom as Mac started to rock against him. His lips immediately crushed down on hers and soon her wish was his command when they literarily ended up in a room full of steam.

**_End of Flashback_**

**Back to presence**

**Harm's bathroom**

Harm opened his eyes again, looking straight into Mac's laughing ones and was sure that she knew exactly where his thoughts just were. He took her face in his palms and kissed her with all the love and passion he felt for her. "Good morning," he whispered as soon as they broke their kiss.

"Hmmm, now it is," Mac huskily said and this time she was the one initiating the kiss between them. This one was full of hunger and desire. "Good morning," she murmured and took his earlobe into her mouth, slightly sucking on it. "You should go back to bed, Harm, and try to get some more sleep. It's still too early for you to be up."

Harm moaned when her tongue followed the line of the pulse on his neck. "And miss the most beautiful woman standing in my shower? No way," he answered, wrapping his strong arms around her to crush her slender body against his solid one, trying to get her as close as possible.

His arousal was more than evident as he rubbed it longingly against her. Mac gasped and lifted up her long leg to hook it over his hip, trying to bring them into an even closer contact. Harm cupped her buttocks in his hands and lifted her up and against him so that she could wrap her legs around his waist.

Harm's mouth hungrily descended on hers, kissing her hard and needy while Mac's lips immediately parted. Her fingers were running through his hair and she held his head in place while Harm's tongue slipped into her warm mouth. Their tongues duelled, probing and seeking more.

Mac loudly moaned when Harm started to kiss and suck along her jaw and down her throat. While one of her hands was still placed on the back of Harm's head, the other one was slowly moving between their bodies, seeking to touch the evidence of his desire for her.

Harm tore his lips from hers, knowing what she wanted to do. "No! Wait," he whispered into her ear, sounding totally out of breath. Blindly he reached for the knob to shut off the shower before quickly making his way to his bedroom, still holding her firmly against him.

Mac tightened her grip on him even though she knew that he wouldn't drop her. "Harm? Where are you going?"

"Bed," Harm only answered and once more captured her swollen lips with his, giving her a quick but hot kiss.

Mac giggled and slightly bit his earlobe. "We're all wet, Harm," she told him between the giggles but then felt the cool sheet sticking on her wet back when they fell onto his bed.

"Don't care," Harm started to say and loudly groaned when one of Mac's hands finally reached the goal, she'd sought just a few seconds earlier in the shower. "Too soon, Baby," Harm huskily said and tried to get out of her reach. "Want more time."

He'd intended to go slow, to take them both to the very ragged edge of control. But before he could say more, Mac once more grabbed his head and pulled his face down to hers, kissing him passionately. "Don't have time, Honey," she started to explain and moaned when Harm pressed his lips to the base of her neck, darting the tip of his tongue so that it pushed against the heavy pulse there.

Mac gasped and lost her thought about what she wanted to tell him, only able to enjoy the feelings Harm was giving her. He was making her skin tingle everywhere he touched her.

When his tongue circled her belly button she whimpered his name while her back arched up, trying to get even closer to him and his touches. Her hands desperately were trying to find something to hold onto, finally grasping for the sheets.

Harm took his time to caress, pleasure, and touch her with all the tenderness and desire he felt for her and for Mac it seemed like hours before they finally came together.

He drew her hands up over her head only to weave his fingers through hers. Then his fingers squeezed hers while their bodies finally joined in the most intimate way. They immediately found the perfect rhythm, their joining and lovemaking being just as tender as the foreplay while the only spoken words were 'I love you'.

Everything around them was forgotten and the only relevant thing in their world was their love and about them being together. With the rest they would deal later, much later, even if it was one angry Admiral yelling about his two top lawyers being way too late for work.

**The End… maybe…**


End file.
